1. Top B2B Lead Scoring Trends of 2011
Lead scoring still happens to be a new concept for many. However, the ones who are aware of the concept
recognize its worth and value in enhancing lead nurturing efforts and driving demand. Numerous
enterprises have been making use of lead scoring and are passing it on to sales. The reason being, that
lead scoring has greater utilities than just developing the value of individual leads. It enables marketers to
identify various market trends. At the same time, it helps marketers to reject what does not work and
adjust to what does. Contrary to few popular notions, lead scoring does not mean forecasting who will buy
what, but rather who is interested in a deeper discussion. It gives a clear picture about where someone
stands in terms of the research process. The marketing teams use it to enhance efficiency thus paving the
path for successful sales enablement using this information.
The apt way to ascertain that your lead scoring procedures work for you is to ensure first that your
company has recognized its business agendas and targets well and have identified its target consumers.
According to a Gartner report, successful businesses that are serious towards their leads, categorizes them
in various classes, such as “hot” prospects can be assigned as “gold”, whereas on the other hand warmer
leads can be designated as “bronze” or “silver”. The motto is to make the most use of the lead
management campaigns. However, others choose lead scoring solutions that provide real-time
information, assuring continuous updates about the leads. Today more and more businesses are opting in
for lead scoring. Following are few interesting trends that you might notice in the pipe this year.
1. Lead scoring identified not only as a sales enabler but also as a marketing
competence tool. Lead scoring uses advanced technologies, that enable organizations to
recognize what works and what does not concerning prospects. Hence, in future marketing teams
would depend more on lead scoring results.
2. Lead scoring will influence recruitment. Lead scoring would allow its implementers to
collect more inputs and as a result, the proficiencies expected from a marketing team would alter.
Naturally, there will be a change in the manner of hiring conventional marketers. The focus would
shift to ushering in more engineers and analysts. People monitoring a marketing department
would prefer candidates who are able to arrange new data, use it better with a better
understanding, and come up with precise decisions. 2011 will witness perhaps a new science of
marketing.
3. Importance given to analysis. In the forthcoming months, lead scoring techniques would
ensure that the sales and marketing teams analyze along with thinking and understanding their
sales and marketing techniques.
4. Active role of Social Media in lead scoring methodologies. If 2010 was the year that the
social media phenomenon caught on with enterprises, then 2011 will be the year that sees social
media become an element that could change B2B lead scoring dynamics.
5. Lead scoring would combine sales and marketing enablement activities. Automated
lead scoring techniques come with the added advantage of making your sales and marketing
teams talk to each other rather than develop campaigns as silos.
6. Lead scoring would enable organization to recognize the non-prospective lead
sources. Lead scoring has the ability of delivering organizations with an early intelligence
concerning non-profitable lead sources. This ensures that the finances are not devoted to the
leads that promise zero returns but rather invested towards higher quality leads
Therefore, we hope that these rewarding lead scoring trends makes it achieve greater conversation rates
for your organization along with improved sales!
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